Machine for severing glass



Jan. 24, 1967 TAlLLEuR ET AL 3,300,112

MACHINE FOR SEVERING GLASS Filed Aug. 9, 1965 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ELECTRICALLY OPERATED CLUTCH a BRAKE 0F MOTOR s5 45 RETARD ANDRE TMLLEUR AMPLIFIER RELAY BY JACQUES LE GRAS fz mwdd AT ORNEYS Jan. 24, 1967 TQAILLEUR ETAL MACHINE FOR SEVERING GLASS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 9. 1965 United States Patent 12 Claims. (31. 225-93 The present invention relates to a machine for severing glass. In particular, the invention relates to a machine for severing a continuously moving sheet or ribbon of fiat glass transversely into pieces in accordance with severing lines marked on the sheet.

The machine of the invention com-prises generally a first or lower pair of parallel rollers to support a sheet of glass and a second or upper pair of parallel rollers, parallel to the first pair. The two pairs of rollers are spaced apart for a sheet of glass to pass between them and the rollers of the upper pair are spaced apart more than the lower pair and are astride the rollers of the lower pair relative to the plane between the pairs. The rollers of the upper pair are mounted and arranged to sever a sheet of glass passing between the pairs by being equally pressed toward the lower pair and against the sheet of glass, to exert a bending pressure on the sheet against the lower rollers and cause the sheet to break transversely at a point between the supporting generatrices of the lower rollers. The pressure of the upper pair of rollers is applied when the desired line of severing is between supporting generatrices of the first pair of rollers, and in a preferred embodiment the severing pressure is triggered by a detecting device which is responsive to a severing line scored on the sheet.

"In accordance with another feature of the invention, the detecting device may be timed so that the severing pressure is applied when the scored severing line is at a predetermined point between the lower rollers. For ex ample, when a sheet of glass is to be severed into very short pieces, the severing pressure is generally applied when the severing line is close to the supporting generatrix of the downstream lower roller. However, when the last piece to be severed is a very short piece the severing pressure would be applied when the severing line is close to the supporting generatrix of the upstream roller. In the latter instance a second detecting device is provided to trigger the severing pressure at the alternative roint and a switch, actuated by the passage of the rear edge of the sheet past a predetermined point, is provided to activate the second detecting device to trigger the application of severing pressure and to disconnect the first detecting device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for severing a moving continuous sheet or ribbon of fiat glass into pieces of varied desired lengths and more specially into very short ones.

Another object is to provide such a machine which is actuated automatically by severing lines scored on the sheet to sever the sheet at each severing line.

A further object is to provide such a machine with means to vary the point in the movement of the sheet at which the severing pressure is applied when the severing line actuating the severing pressure is the line of the last piece at the end of a sheet.

According to the invention, the severing has the main advantage of being operated without shearing stresses so that it occurs perpendicularly to the sheet plane.

The above and further objects and novel features of the present invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description when the same is read in con- Patented Jan. 24, 1967 nection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference for this latter purpose being had primarily to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a machine in accordance with the invention showing a sheet of glass being conveyed through the machine to be severed thereby and showing a severed sheet being conveyed from the downstream end of the machine;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the machine of FIG- URE l; and

FIGURE 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure and arrangement of detecting devices which are responsive to severing lines on a sheet of glass and illustrating the connections by which the detecting devices automatically actuate a machine in accordance with the invention.

' slightly lower level than the rollers 10-11 or preferably equipped at its end 15 with a pair of driving rollers able to yield under vertical forces. The sheet 14 of glass passes through the machine supported by the lower pair of rollers 10-11 of which at least the downstream lower roller 11 is driven by conventional means, not shown, to assist the movement of the sheet 14 through the machine. The driving connection to the roller 11 includes an overrunning clutch so that a piece of glass severed from the sheet 14, in the manner described more fully below, may be withdrawn over the roller 11 at a, speed higher than the sheet is fed into the machine in Order to avoid having the sheet 14 ride up on the pieces of glass severed therefrom. For the same purpose, a downstream conveyor belt 16 which carries the severed pieces, such as a severed piece 17 illustrated in FIGURE 1, away from the machine is driven at a higher speed than the upstream conveyor belt 14, and, as shown, the plane of the supporting surface of the conveyor 16 is below the plane of the sheet 14 passing through the machine over the rollers 10-11.

The upper rollers 12 and 13 are spaced apart more than the lower rollers 10-11, are rotatably mounted on a carriage 18, and are positioned \astride the lower rollers 10- 11 relative to the plane of the sheet 14 between the pairs of rollers. The carriage 18 is pivotally supported about a fixed axis 19 which, as seen in FIGURE 1, is approximately midway between the rollers 12-13 and preferably in a vertical plane at right angles to the sheet 14 above the mid-point between the lower rollers 10-11 as indicated by the dot and dash line 20.

The upper rollers 12-13 are normally in at least light contact with the sheet 14 passing through the machine, and severing of the sheet is accomplished by pressing the rollers 12-13 against the sheet 14 so as to exert a bending pressure on the sheet around the lower rollers 10-11 which causes the sheet to break transversely at a point between the rollers 10-11.

If necessary, thin extensible rubber belts run between 15 and 16 over 10 and 11 in order to prevent very nartween the rollers -11, the rollers 12-13 being preferentially spaced so that another severing line is not present in both adjacent outer regions.

The upper rollers 1213 are arranged to be pressed against the sheet 14 to sever it by rotating the downstream roller 13 about an eccentric axis so that, when the largest radius of the eccentric is rotated down and downstream against the sheet, the pressure of the roller 13 against the sheet 14 is increased. This causes the carriage 18 to pivot about its fixed axis 19 thereby increasing the pressure the upstream roller 12 against the sheet and causing both rollers 12 and 13 to press against the sheet 14 with equal increased pressure.

The structural arrangement of the upper rollers 12-13 and carriage 18 and the means for rotating the roller 13 about an eccentric axis to exert severing pressure will now be described with reference to FIGURE 2. As shown, the carriage 18 is formed by two side plates 21 and 22 between which the rollers 12-13 are sup ported The fixed axis 19 of the carriage 18 is formed by stub shafts 19a and 19b extending from the side plates 21 and 22 respectively and journalled in suitable frame members, not shown, for the machine.

The upstream upper roller 12 is concentrical ly mounted for free rotation on a shaft 23 supported between the side plates 21 and 22. The downstream upper roller 13 comprises a cylindrical shell 24 having concentric bushing elements 25 in its ends with a shaft 26 fixed through the bushing elements.

The cylindrical shell 24 is rotatable concentrically about the bushing elements 25 by means of suitable roller bearings between the bushing elements and the shell, and the shaft 26 is eccentrically fixed through the bushing elements so that the periphery of the roller 13 is eccentric to the shaft 26. The ends of the shaft 26 project beyond the bushing elements 25 and are journailed in the side plates 21-22 of the carriage 18.

The roller 13 is continuously driven to rotate about a concentric axis (indicated at 27 in FIGURE 1) by a motor 23 suitably mounted on the frame of the machine and connected through belts to rotate the shell 24 of the roller about the bushing elements 25 thereby to assist the movement of the sheet 14 through the machine. For the severing operation, the roller 13 is rotated by other means, subsequently described, about the eccentric axis defined by the shaft 26. The driving connection from the motor 28 to the shell 24 of roller 13 must therefore be flexible to allow for the periodic eccentric rotation of the roller. For this purpose the driving connection comprises a belt 29 around a pulley on the motor and a pulley 30 on the lower end of an arm 31 which has its upper end pivotally mounted on the motor under spring tension which urges the arm in a clockwise direction in FIGURE 1. Another belt 32 passes around the pulley 30 and around the shell 24 of the roller 13 in a suitable groove therein. Thus, the arm 31 maintains the belt 32 in driving engagement with the shell 24 and compensates for eccentric rotation of the roller 13 by swinging back and 'forth under spring tension.

The roller 13 is rotated about the eccentric shaft 26 by a motor 33, which is suitably mounted on the frame of the machine, connected to rotate the shaft by a belt .34 around a pulley on the motor and around a pulley 35 :secured on the end of the shaft 26. The motor 33 is equipped with an electrically operated brake and clutch :so as to rotate the roller 13 once about its eccentric axis (in a counter-clockwise direction) when the motor is actuated for a severing operation and then stop the motor and holding the driving connection in a position in which the largest radius of the roller 13 relative to the eccentric shaft is substantially parallel to the plane of the sheet 14 being fed through the machine. In this position of the roller 13 it is in contact with a sheet 14 in the machine as its peripheral shell 24 is rotated con- 4 centrically about the bushing elements 25 by the motor 28.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 3, a severing operation of the machine shown is triggered automatically by a detecting device which suitably comprises an electric eye 36 and light source 37 on opposite sides of the glass sheet 14 at a point in the path of the sheet between the lower rollers 1011 and adjacent the upstream roller 10. The electric eye 36 is connected to a switch on the motor 33 for a single severing operation when the light beam from the light source 36 is interrupted. Thus, as a sheet 14 moves into the machine and a severing line previously marked on the sheet interrupts the light beam from the light source 37, the electric eye 36 actuates the motor 33 after a slight time delay to permit the sheet 14 to move the additional distance to carry the severing line to a definite point between the supporting generatrices of the rollers 1011. The time delay is provided by a time delay switch 38 in the electric operating circuit by the electric eye 36 to control the severing operation of motor 33. As indicated in FIG- URE 3, this operating circuit includes the electric eye 36, the time delay switch 38, an amplifier and a relay which is connected to actuate electrically operated clutch and brake mechanism of the motor 33. As previously described, when the motor 33 is thus actuated, it operates to rotate the roller 13 one revolution counter-clock wise about its eccentric axis, defined by shaft 26, to

press the rollers 1213 against the sheet 14 and sever the sheet.

The sereving line marked on the glass sheet 14 is scored to facilitate the severing of the sheet. The severing prcssure of. the rollers 12-13 may be applied when the scored severing line is at any point between the supporting generatrices of the rollers 10-11 and the point at which the pressure is applied may be varied by changing the time lapse provided by the time delay switch 33. When it is desired to sever very short pieces of glass from the sheet 14, the severing lines are scored and the severing pressure is adjusted to be applied when the severing line is adjacent the downstream lower roller 11.

When the last piece at the end of a glass sheet 14 is to be very short, the severing pressure is applied when the scored severing line is closer to the upstream lower roller 10 and for this purpose an alternative detecting arrangement is provided. This alternative arrangement comprises a switch 52 adjacent the path of a glass sheet 14 'being fed to the machine and having a contact 43 movable alternatively to connect the electric eye 36 or another electric eye 44 to actuate the moor 33. When a continuous sheet 14 is being fed to the machine an arm 45 of the switch 42 is in contact with the sheet 14 and depressed thereby under spring tension to connect the electric eye 36 to actuate the motor 33 when a severing line on the sheet 14 passes the light beam between light source 37 and electric eye 36 in the manner previously described. Then when the rear end of the sheet 14 passes the switch 42, the arm 45 of the switch is released and moves the contact 43 to disconnect the electric eye 36 and time delay switch 38 from the motor 33 operating circuit and to connect the electric eye 44 and is associated time delay switch 46 into the circuit instead.

The circuit changing switch 42 is located in the path of a glass sheet 14 upstream from the alternative electric eye 44 a distance greater than the maximum length of the last piece of glass it is desired to sever from the sheet. When the rear edge of sheet 14 passes over the switch 42 so that the electric eye 44 is connected to actuate the motor 33, a severing line on the sheet passing between the electric eye 44 and its associated light source 47 causes the connection from the electric eye 44 and time delay switch 46 to actuate the motor 33 to apply severing pressure when the severing line passes over and is adjacent the upstream lower roller 10,

When a piece of glass has been severed by the bending pressure applied by the upper rollers 12-13, the forward edge of the severed piece drops to the conveyor belt 16, which, as previously mentioned, is travelling at a speed higher than the glass sheet 14 is fed through the machine. The motor 28 has a flat couple-speed curve; thus the peripheral shell 24 of the roller 13 is rotated by the motor 28 following the feeding speed of the sheet 14, but, as the sheet is being severed thereby decreasing the pull on the severed part, the speed of the motor increases.

The lower downstream roller 11, which is driven at the feed speed, is provided with an overrunning clutch to permit a severed piece to move over it at a higher speed. Thus the roller 13 with the cooperation of roller 11 pushes the severed piece of glass out from the machine and onto the conveyor 16 at a higher speed than the glass sheet is moved into severing position so as to avoid having the sheet 14 overlap the severed pieces.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present invention may 'be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for severing sheets of glass com-prising a first pair of parallel rollers to support a sheet of glass, a second pair of parallel rollers parallel to the first pair, said pairs being spaced apart for a sheet of glass to pass between, the rollers of one pair being astride the rollers of the other pair and means to bring the sheet of glass into pressing engagement against one pair in an equilibrated manner through the other pair thereby bending said sheet to sever it.

2. The machine of claim 1 where the first pair are upper rollers and are more widely spaced than the lower ones.

3. The machine of claim 1 where the downstream rollers exert substantially equal forces in opposite directions normal to the sheet.

4. The machine of claim 1 including means to convey a sheet of glass, which has a transverse severing line scored thereon, longitudinally between the pairs of rollers in a direction transverse to the axes of the rollers, and means responsive to movement of the severing line to actuate said conveying means to press one pair of rollers toward the other pair when the severing line is between the rollers of the said other pair,

5. The machine of claim 1 including an upstream conveyor to carry a sheet of glass longitudinally between said pairs of rollers, and a downstream conveyor to carry severed pieces of said sheet away from said rollers, the plane of the support surface of the downstream conveyor being below the plane of a sheet of glass between the pairs of rollers, said downstream conveyor being driven to carry said pieces away from the rollers at a speed greater than said sheet is conveyed between the rollers.

6. The machine of claim in which the rollers of both pairs are in contact with a sheet of glass conveyed between the-m and which includes drive means for driving the downstream rollers of both pairs to move said sheet between the pairs, and overrunning clutch means associated with the downstream roller of the first pair whereby a severed piece of glass may be moved over said roller at a speed greater than the speed at which the roller is driven.

7. A machine for severing sheets of glass comprising a first pair of parallel rollers to support a sheet of glass, a second pair of parallel rollers parallel to the first pair, said pairs being spaced apart for a sheet of glass to pass between in contact with the rollers, the rollers of the second pair being spaced apart more than the first pair and being astride the first pair relative to the plane between the pairs, the rollers of the second pair being rotatably mounted on a carriage which is pivotally mounted on a fixed axis, the axis of the carriage being parallel to and between the rollers of the second pair, one of the rollers of the second pair being mounted for rotation about an eccentric axis on said carriage, and drive means to rotate said roller about said eccentric axis at timed intervals whereby both rollers of the second pair are pressed toward the first pair and against a sheet of glass between the pairs to sever said sheet.

8. The machine of claim 7 in which the axis of said carriage is approximately midway between the rollers of said second pair and in a plane approximately midway between the rollers of the first pair.

9. The machine of claim 7 including means to convey a sheet of glass, which has a transverse severing line scored thereon, longitudinally along a predetermined path and between the pairs of rollers in a direction at right angles to the axes of the rollers, detecting means adjacent said path responsive to the movement of the severing line past it to actuate said engaging means when the severing line is between the rollers of the first pair.

10. The machine of claim 9- including second detecting means adjacent said path connectable to be responsive to the movement of the severing line past it to actuate said engaging means when said severing line is at a predetermined point between the rollers of the first pair, a switch adjacent said path actuated by the passage past it of the end edge of said sheet of glass to connect said second detecting means and disconnect the first mentioned detecting means so that the second detecting means and not the first is responsive to said movement of the severing line.

11. The machine of claim 7 including means to feed a sheet of glass longitudinally between the pairs of rollers, downstream conveyor means to carry severed pieces of glass from said rollers, the plane of the support surface of said conveyor means being below the plane of a sheet of glass between the pairs of rollers, and second drive means to rotate the downstream roller of the second pair about an axis concentric thereto to move said sheet between the pairs of rollers.

12. The machine of claim 11 including third drive means to rotate the downstream roller of the first pair in the direction to move said sheet between the pairs of rollers, and overrunning clutch means associated with said roller so that a severed piece of glass may move over said roller at a speed greater than the speed at which it is driven.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,072,308 1/1963 Oakes et a1. 22596.5 3,137,425 6/1964 Arnaud 22596.5 X 3,142,427 7/1964 Brand 225104 WILLIAM W. DYER, 111., Primary Examiner.

J. M. MEISTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A MACHINE FOR SEVERING SHEETS OF GLASS COMPRISING A FIRST PAIR OF PARALLEL ROLLERS TO SUPPORT A SHEET OF GLASS, A SECOND PAIR OF PARALLEL ROLLERS PARALLEL TO THE FIRST PAIR, SAID PAIRS BEING SPACED APART FOR A SHEET OF GLASS TO PASS BETWEEN, THE ROLLERS OF ONE PAIR BEING ASTRIDE THE ROLLERS OF THE OTHER PAIR AND MEANS TO BRING THE SHEET OF GLASS INTO PRESSING ENGAGEMENT AGAINST ONE PAIR IN AN EQUILIBRATED MANNER THROUGH THE OTHER PAIR THEREBY BENDING SAID SHEET TO SEVER IT. 